Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian oil refineries after Zelenskyy says energy pause is over

Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region early on Thursday, 15 October, Russian officials said, hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would resume attacks on Russian energy facilities.

What Russian officials reported

• Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said the region came under a “massive drone attack” and that “a fire broke out at the oil refinery.”
• Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine had attempted a large-scale attack on the Ryazan refinery and that falling drone debris sparked a fire. The Ukrainian military had not immediately confirmed the strike, RFE/RL and the BBC reported.
• The Rosneft-owned Ryazan plant has been hit before and accounts for nearly 5% of Russia’s refining capacity, according to RFE/RL.

Zelenskyy’s position

• In a Financial Times interview published 15 October, Zelenskyy said: “The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done.”
• Ukraine had paused refinery strikes for about three days after US President Donald Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” on about 11 October. Neither side formally agreed to that truce; Russia continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Ukrainian and Western reporting said.
• Zelenskyy also criticised reported US intelligence and Starshield/Starlink-related disruptions as “dangerous,” saying Ukraine had been told intelligence could be blocked if strikes did not stop - claims the White House and Pentagon have been asked to address (Trump has denied halting intelligence-sharing, the BBC noted).

Moscow continued overnight attacks on Ukraine; Ukrainian officials reported large numbers of drones and missiles and further civilian casualties, according to RFE/RL and the BBC.